The present invention relates to a bracket and lock system for the suspended securement, typically at or near ceiling level, of selected conduits including, without limitation, electrical and fluid conduits.
In the prior art, the securement of pipes in residential, commercial and industrial enviroments has been a time consuming, tedious and expensive undertaking. Further, the process of servicing such conduits, once installed, has proven to be difficult, expensive and time-consuming.
The present invention is particularly concerned with the adaptation of our invention, entitled Conduit Bracket Lock System with Flexible Hinge, to use with what is termed a UNI-STRUT hanger. The UNI-STRUT, which is more fully described in the Detailed Description of the Invention which follows, typically takes the form of a suspended hollow rod having a rectangular cross section having top, left and right sides thereof and having, as the bottom surface thereof, a resilient element secured within edges of such left and right sides. The concept of the UNI-STRUT hanger is that brackets, of varying types, can be secured, at desired elevations and angulations, thereto, after the hanger itself has been suspended at a desired height and axis within a particular structure. Also, the resilient element may be slidable relative to its edges.
There exists, in the prior art, various types of brackets having utility in the securement of one or another type of conduit. Such systems are represented by our own U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,387 and, somewhat farther field, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,163 (1986) to Barnett, entitled Retaining Clip; U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,289 (1980) to Herb, entitled Two Part Type Clip; U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,786 (1978) to Moling, entitled Fire Extinguishing System, and United Kingdom Pat. No. 2,183,287 (1987) to Klein.
None of the above, nor other prior art known to us, discloses a modular conduit system in which the bracket structure may be selectably secured and positioned upon the UNI-STRUT structure and which, in turn, a conduit may be nested within such bracket structure for selective coupling and decoupling thereto. Further, the present inventive system provides for the selective inclusion of insulation about the conduit filled within a self-contained modular protective heat shield as an exterior plate of the bracket. Prior art modular conduit systems do not enjoy the structural integrity, or the option of employing such insulation, nor ease of installation, as is provided by the structure and system herein. Accordingly, the components and systems that exist in the prior art are not capable of performing the above functions and, as well, are not adapted for efficient cooperation with a UNI-STRUT hanger.
The present system is formed completely of components which may be selectably coupled, as by snap and twist fitting, together to form common connections between all components thereof, thusly eliminating the need for much of the laborious aspects associated with installation of conduit piping as has been known in the prior art.
It is in response to the above described limitations in the art that the present invention is directed.
Further, the instant invention constitutes a direct improvement of our co-pending application and U.S. patents as referenced above.